(a) Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an electrical stringed and fretted musical instrument having at least two pick-up means, a bass boost filter means and a high boost filter means. More specifically, the invention relates to such an instrument which includes combining means for providing an infinite combination of different amplitude signals from the pick-up means and the filter means, and for simultaneously varying the different signals.
The combining means can also provide simultaneous volume and panning control for the instrument.
(b) Description of Prior Art
Electrical stringed and fretted instruments are known in the art. Generally, the instruments include transducers for picking up the string vibrations and converting them to electrical signals. The transducers are referred to as pick-up means, and, in a guitar, the pick-up means can comprise a bridge pick-up and a finger board pick-up.
Electrical instruments of this type are illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,454,702, Elbrecht et al, issued July 8, 1969; 3,478,158, Trainor, issued Nov. 11, 1969; 3,915,048, Stich, issued Oct. 28, 1975; and 4,305,320, Peavey, issued Dec. 15, 1981. In all of these references, controls are provided. However, the controls will vary only one variable at a time.
The instruments may also include bass and high boost filter means to emphasize, respectively, the bass notes or the treble notes being played. Typically, controls for these filter means will vary either the bass filter or the treble filter but not both.
Volume controls are also included in electrical stringed and fretted instruments for controlling volume at the output. In addition, in order to provide a stereo effect, the output of the instrument may be provided to two separated speakers. The distribution of output between the speakers is referred to as panning. Once again, separate panning and volume controls may be provided. In such a case, each speaker will be separately volume controlled.
There are no control systems available to Applicant's knowledge which permit simultaneous volume and panning control.